Lyons gets three grants for dam, parks and roads

The village of Lyons has learned it has received not one, but three state grants to fund infrastructure and parks improvements. All three projects are slated to take place in late August or September.

The state's Dam Management Grant Program awarded the Ionia Conservation District $994,975 to remove portions of the Lyons Dam and rehabilitate the site.

Lyons has applied for money to fund this project before, but had not been in a good position for those grants, said Melissa Eldridge, the conservation district manager.

"This is the first time that this pot of money has been available ... and it's been a long, drawn-out process of surveying, doing an engineering plan and finding the right partners," Eldridge said, adding that Lyons received a smaller grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in October. "Those smaller pieces to add to this, that's when it fell into place. It's been a long time coming, but we're finally at the construction part."

Eldridge said there is permitting from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality that must happen first, and then the project will have to wait until water levels are lower, probably in late August or early September. Once construction begins, the project will take six to eight weeks, she said.

The project will remove the concrete facing of the dam and the parts of the dam that have been in danger of collapsing, leaving the rocks and wood crib behind it in tact.

"It won't be a complete blow out. (Leaving the rest) will hold the sediment behind that structure and not let it flow downstream," she said. "If it were to go, it would settle out and create sand bars, and would change the flow."

The engineering plan also includes bank and channel stabilization. Lyons already has done some bank stabilization where there were problems with erosion, and those areas need to be protected, Eldridge said.

In addition, there will be a stairway of rocks placed in one-foot increments added to replace the current fish ladder, which hasn't worked correctly for some time in spite of repairs, said Eldridge.

"Ecologically, fish can't get through there. With a stair step up to the face of the dam, the fish can migrate naturally," she said. "We know from cameras upstream that some salmon have been able to get through, but darters and smaller fish species are not strong enough swimmers (to make it through the current fish ladder)."

Once completed, the project will create additional green space, where the bank is exposed, after "the little bit of draw down" from the dam removal.

"It will add property to the landowners on either side, " she said. "It will look as natural as possible, and maybe kayakers will be able to shoot the rapids."